This DVD is a recording of the 14th Opera Gala, at
the Deutsche Oper Berlin, in support of the German AIDS Foundation,
which took place in November 2007. As is customary for concerts
of this kind, the programme offers a selection of popular pieces
from opera and operetta, with a couple of choices that are a little
more unusual for the average gala performance.
The DVD is predominantly
in German, although the menu is in both German and English. One
can choose to watch the whole gala or just the music, as well
as a choice by chapter. If you are fluent in German, as there
are no subtitles, then the full gala is interesting, as long as
one skips the speeches, due to stylish, humorous presentations
of the various pieces by German singer, comedian and presenter
Max Raabe. Cleverly, he uses some of Loriot’s original texts,
delivering them with almost as much flair as the great man himself
who was actually in the audience. Loriot, whose real name is Bernhard
Victor Christoph Carl von Bülow (short: Vicco von Bülow) was born
in 1923 in Brandenburg an der Havel, near Berlin, in Germany.
He is a humorist, graphic artist, director, actor and writer who
became famous mostly for his cartoons, the sketches from his 1976
television series Loriot and his two movies: Ödipussi
(1988) and Pappa ante portas (1991). The
pseudonym "Loriot" is derived from the French word for
the Oriole, a bird, which is his family's heraldic animal.
His texts are genuinely funny, sometimes ironic; others even a
little sarcastic but always witty and intelligently observed.
If however, you do not speak German then I advise you to go for
the music only option where you have the entire gala performance
but without the speeches or the presentations. The musical pieces
are clearly displayed on the screen and therefore you will still
know the work and the composer’s name, as well as the singer.
The booklet accompanying
the DVD lists the full programme and has interesting notes about
all the performers, the history of the gala, the orchestra and
chorus of the Deutsche Oper Berlin as well as the conductor and
the presenter, however, again if you are not fluent in German,
you will not be able to read it, as there are no translations.
The evening suitably
opened with Rossini’s overture to L’Italiana in Algeri,
one of his most popular and accomplished pieces, vibrantly delivered
by the orchestra of the Deutsche Oper under the experienced baton
of American-born conductor, Lawrence Foster. This is the first
fine moment for the orchestra; the second comes at the opening
of part 2 of the gala, together with the chorus of the Deutsche
Oper, for an excellent rendition of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana.
Generally, the soloists
deliver what they set out to do: an evening of good singing of
some of the most popular pieces in opera and operetta for the
benefit of a worthy organisation: the German AIDS Foundation.
The performances, however, are not all of the same calibre and
though there is some truly great singing, there are also some
slightly disappointing moments, as for example Agnes Baltsa’s
rendition of Puccini’s O mio babbino caro from the opera
Gianni Schicchi. It was not quite obvious if the tempo
was faster because she requested it or if the conductor just went
ahead of her; either way the beautiful emotional line of the aria,
its sentiment and lyrical legato were lost. Though Baltsa
was back on top form with her second piece Cruda sorte,
from Rossini’s L’Italiana in Algeri.
The gala is enjoyable
throughout but there are some particularly wonderful performances,
which deserve to be mentioned separately. First, Don Basilio’s,
La calunnia č un venticello, from Act I of Rossini’s Il
Barbiere di Siviglia, an aria for bass, perfectly delivered
by Slovac baritone Stefan Kocán, though I think his voice cannot
be described as a baritone. He sounds much more like a bass or
at least a bass-baritone. Second, Pourquoi me réveiller
from Massenet’s Werther, excellently performed by Polish
tenor Piotr Beczala, clearly demonstrating why his interpretation
of the title role was so successful and critically acclaimed both
in Frankfurt and Munich. And finally, Si. Mi chiamano Mimi,
from Act I of Puccini’s La Bohčme, performed by the marvellous
soprano Krassimira Stoyanova from Bulgaria. She sang the aria
to perfection and deservedly drew the biggest applause of the
evening.
Also worth mentioning
are the appearances of two young artists: tenor Pavol Breslik
and soprano Nino Machaidze. He is a promising young singer at
ease with high notes, who does a pleasant rendition of Donizetti’s
Una furtiva lagrima from Act II of L’Elisir D’Amore,
though his legato technique is still a little unsure, at
times weak, however, the level of sentiment and his easiness in
controlling the beautiful crescendos effectively balanced
his delivery. He seemed much more at home with Lippen schweigen
from Lehár’s Die lustige Witwe; and not only his singing;
he appeared more comfortable with German than Italian. Breslik
should have been joined in this piece by soprano Anette Dasch
who was indisposed and forced to cancel. This meant that the female
voice was solely played by the violin in a lovely, tender rendition
by the first violinist from the Deutsche Oper orchestra: Reinhold
Wolf. As for Nino Machaidze, her performance of Amine’s aria in
act II of Bellini’s La sonnambula is confident, well supported
by a touching interpretation and good dramatic skills. Her coloratura
is excellent though there is still room for improvement, as she
sounds slightly strident in the highest register of her voice,
but her attractive presence and her assured legato technique
more than made up for the little shortcomings.
The finale to this
very enjoyable gala is the ensemble piece Dein ist mein ganzes
Herz from Lehár’s Das Land des Lächelns, one of the
loveliest melodies ever created by the composer. Unfortunately,
the piece does not completely succeed as it becomes obvious that
some of the soloists that form the ensemble are not familiar with
the work. However, the two tenors, Piotr Beczala and Pavol Breslik,
literally shine, standing out from the rest in a piece that they
both appear to know rather well. Although not fully accomplished,
the finale is pleasant and suitable for the conclusion of such
a gala concert. The public responded warmly and one is left with
an uplifting, cheerful feeling.
Margarida Mota-Bull
Margarida
Mota-Bull has written a novel set against the background of opera
and structured within a musical frame, entitled "Canto di
Tenore" see http://www.ebooksforpleasure.com/canto-di-tenore.html
Agnes Baltsa (mezzo); Franz Grundheber (bass-baritone); Angela Marambio
(soprano); Krassimira Stoyanova (soprano); Marina Rebeka (soprano);
Nino Machaidze (soprano); Matti Salminen (bass); Pavol Breslik (tenor);
Piotr Beczala (tenor); Stefan Kocán (baritone)
[122.00] 
